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Starving sea lion pups filling California rescue centers

By The Associated Press

Posted:
03/30/2013 12:01:00 AM MDT

Rescued sea lion pups sit in a cage at Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, Calif. Scientists say nearly half of all the sea lion pups born in island rookeries off Southern California this season have died, and hundreds of starving pups are washing up on beaches. (Pacific Marine Mammal Center)

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of starving sea lion pups are washing up on beaches from San Diego to Santa Barbara, overwhelming rescue centers and leaving scientists scrambling to figure out why.

At island rookeries off the Southern California coast, 45 percent of the pups born in June have died, said Sharon Melin, a wildlife biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service based in Seattle. Normally, less than one-third of the pups would die.

It's gotten so bad in the past two weeks that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared an "unusual mortality event." That will allow more scientists to join the search for the cause, Melin said.

Pups normally are weaned from their mothers in April.

Even the pups that are making it are markedly underweight, Melin said.

The most recent pups weighed at the breeding area on San Miguel Island were around 37 pounds apiece, Melin said. They should weigh between 55 and 59 pounds by now, she said.

Melin said she doesn't know how the pups are making it to the mainland, but they're probably using currents and swimming. "That's a long way, and they are very small," she said. "They don't have a lot of fat, and the water is pretty cold. They are often dehydrated, which is typical with emaciation. It puts them in pretty bad condition."

Scientists were performing tests to determine whether the problem is food availability, disease or both.

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